Unit 4: Legends of Arthur

How to read a legend?

- Different Versions of a Tale Exist: It is true that a British Chieftain by the name of Arthur (Arturius) helped defend Britain against Saxon invaders, but the rest is up to the imagination. Legends become so because their stories are continually being passed on like a game of telephone that has been going on for centuries. The Legends of Arthur were originally passed down through oral traditions, and even when they were written down there were many variations. Not until the 1500s did Sir Thomas Malory manage to collect the various legends concerning Arthur and write them into the first complete English collection: Le Morte d' Arthur (The Death of Arthur). He wove together 8 strands of a French Romance in order to present the unified tale. That is over 5 centuries of telling and retelling the same tale, and his main source for the legendary and ideal English king was the French. And the tale did not stop being retold after Malory's comprehensive version. Writers like Alfred, Lord Tennyson, T. H. White, and Mary Stewart all have been inspired to dramatize the tale.

- Extraordinary Events are Ordinary: All of you realists will need a heavy dose of the suspension of disbelief. Enjoy the wonder and the mystery of the unbelievable plot. Spells, enchantments, magicians who see into the future: these are all daily occurrences. Knights can duel for hours with an apparent limitless supply of blood and energy. These are tall-tales. We have the giant Paul Bunyan with his huge blue ox and Johny Appleseed who planted all of the apple trees in NY. The supernatural element is just part of the anatomy of a legend. King Arthur was an ideal warrior King and hero, and our fictional heroes today have supernatural abilities as well. Think about Superman. Real people can't fly or see through buildings, but our hero can. The extraordinary provides excitement and entertainment, as well as characterizes the capabilities of characters.

- Heroes and Villains are Clear: King Arthur is the ideal good guy. All other knights and kings can look to Arthur as an example of what a warrior and king should be. Sir Modred, on the other hand, is the quintessential bad guy. He demonstrates the dark side of human nature. This obvious difference is meant to be an educational tool in order to teach the right way to fight and rule from the wrong way. Of course good doesn't mean perfect. Even good characters make mistakes, including Arthur; but even when mistakes are made, it is always clear whether or not that character is essentially good or bad.

- The Action is Episodic: That means that the events of Arthur, although they connect to create an entire tale, each have their own setting, cast, and plot, like episodes of a television show.

Feudalism

Feudalism was the type of government throughout the Dark Ages. Society was broken into a series of hierarchies based on the philosophy of The Great Chain of Being. This idea was that the world had a natural order to its hierarchy, and as long as every one and thing was in that order, there would be peace. If that order was broken, chaos would ensue. The Great Chain of Being ordered the Universe as follows: God Angels Man Animals Plants Inanimate ObjectsThe Kingdom was then ordered into the King, Nobility, Knights, and Serfs. If this order was broken there would be chaos. When Lucifer wanted to be like the most high, he and a third of the angels ended up being cast out of heaven. When Adam and Eve wanted to be like God and have the knowledge of good and evil, man eternally fell from grace and sin entered the world. So how does that affect feudalism? The King, who is the head of the kingdom only has one person above him on the chain, and that's God. A monarch rules by Divine Right, meaning that God has appointed him as the king. The Divine Right is then passed down from the rightful King, to the rightful heir. If any one were to try to kill the king and usurp the throne, they would then throw the kingdom into chaos because they are usurping the natural order of the kingdom. So no one but Arthur, who has the divine right to rule, can pull the sword out of the stone. So how does Feudalism Work? Read over the diagram.

Think of a Kingdom as being divided up and governed like a state. The King would be the Governor. He governs all of the land and all of its inhabitants, and he would have the biggest castle in the biggest city with the most Knights and vassals under him. His responsibility is protect the country and keep it running smoothly. The Nobles would be like Mayors of individual cities. Each city consisted of a castle that the Lord and Lady lived in and the surrounding land that the Lord and Lady governed. The city would be and economical focus for trade, as well as a safe have if they were ever under attack. The Lord and Lady would require the protection of Knights, who would be rewarded with land. The land was then farmed by vassals who would pay rent and tax in food and military service.

Code of Chivalry

The Medieval Knight had obligations to his God, Lord & Lady, and to his society. In every aspect a knight must be brave and honorable. Knights were the leaders of the warrior class, yet they had to be civil, learned, and polite at court. Knight attempted to live by the Code of Chivalry, which has three major parts.1. God/Religion: Swear supreme allegiance to God and become a defender of the Christian Faith. 2. Loyalty to his Lord and King: A Knight must swear to dedicate his life to the service of upholding the laws of the realm. He would bring honor to himself and his liege by demonstrating courage and fair play in battle and tournaments. 3. Protect the Weak and Helpless: Widows, orphans, serfs, and all ladies in distress fell into this category.

Going to war was a demonstration of loyalty to one's liege as well as an act of protection.

Medieval Romance

A Medieval Romance is the combination of adventure and romance that we look for in a movie or a soap opera. It was highly entertaining, but it still endeavored to teach its readers about the responsibility of a relationship between a Knight and a Lady. The Medieval Romance originated in France in the 12th century, but was made popular in England when Henry III married Elinore of France. Elinore was a cultured patron of the arts and encouraged poets to write poems between knights and ladies. These poets conducted courts of love to teach knights and to make them answer questions about love. This is where the idea of courtly love originated. Her daughter, Marie, commissioned a book about courtly love and a code of courtly love emerged.

The Code of Courtly Love: the Relationship between a Knight and his Lady.1. It must be an unequal relationship in the Lady's favor. Society was hierarchical and so should be love. The Knight must be willing to serve his lady, if she so wished. She was to be his sovereign and he her servant. The Knight should worship her as if she were a goddess, and with the same devotion as if she were the mother Mary. 2. Platonic Love. The relationship must remain platonic. Remember, at this time love and marriage didn't always go together. Marriages were often political moves to unite and bring peace between families or countries. The Lady may not feel romantically towards her Lord, but it was still an act of disloyalty to the Lord if his Knight had anything but a platonic relationship with his Lady.